Oregon 9, Washington 0: Ducks find some offense, avoid series sweep

EUGENE -- For the first time in a long time, the University of Oregon baseball team put everything together -- solid pitching, error-free defense, and more offense than they had seen in the last three weeks.

Right-handers Alex Keudell and Brando Tessar combined on a three-hitter, and Danny

UODany Pulfer

Pulfer with 3 for 5 with a double and drove in four runs to lead a 12-hit attack that carried the Ducks to a 9-0 Pacific-10 Conference victory over the Washington Huskies Sunday at PK Park.

Shawn Peterson added two hits, including his first home run as a Duck –- a solo shot that made it 3-0 in the fifth -- to help Oregon (15-14, 1-5 Pac-10) avoid the series sweep before a crowd of 2,086.

And, no, nobody is going 0-27 in the Pac-10 this season.

Keudell (4-3) was the game’s first star, blanking the Huskies (9-20, 2-4) through the first eight innings with two walks and six strikeouts. At one point, the junior right-hander retired 14 consecutive batters before surrendering a two-out single in the eighth.

But solid pitching has been a constant this season for Oregon, while the offense has struggled, so it was refreshing for the Ducks when they broke out for two runs in the second, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and four in the seventh.

It was the first time the Ducks have scored nine runs in a game since a 10-7 win on March 19 at San Diego.

“It feels good to see guys finally feel comfortable,” Pulfer said. “We had nothing to lose. We’d already lost the series. We might as well come out and swing it as much as we could. And we did. Guys had good swings all day.”

Pulfer said the frustrating in the Oregon clubhouse reached the highest level he has seen following Saturday’s 3-0 loss in 10 innings, which prompted a post-game players’ meeting.

“I know I've seen us 14-42, the difference was I don't think we cared then versus now,” Pulfer said. “I think that's part of our problem -- guys are caring too much, they're trying too hard, and they’re out of their element.

“I think today you saw guys just relax and say, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ And a lot of good things happened.”

Brett Hambright got the Ducks’ rolling in the second with an RBI-double off Washington starter Austin Voth (1-3) that scored J.J. Altobelli from first, although the at-bat didn’t start off as planned.

First, Hambright missed a hit-and-run sign and tried to bunt, and then got a bunt sign and bunted foul before pulling a 1-2 pitch down the line and into the left-field corner.

“The first at-bat was kind of mind-boggling,” said Hambright, who scored on Pulfer’s two-out single to right-center. “Luckily, the results came through and we got a good win.”

Horton agreed.

“It’s a good first step forward,” Horton said. “Danny Pulfer had a big day and some Ducks picked up Ducks after some unproductive at-bats with runners at third, but definitely a good step. It feels good to have a victory and maybe we can string some together.”